Anywhere You Go 30 Hugs
by Kaiousei
Summary: 30 short, inprogress stories based on 30 themes, all related to ZelosLloyd.
1. 01 Mylene

Hello again and welcome to Dawn's Shameless Shipping account! Now far, far away in the realm of livejournal, I was pissed becauseI didn't get Zelos/Lloyd as the 30 kisses pairing! (30 kisses is a theme community - which I will explain in a moment.) So the second I was informed of another 30-theme community opening, I grabbed the two of them the second I could. So here we are!

In case you don't know, '30 themes' were originally created for Japanese fanartists as far as I know! They give themselves 30 themes to draw a picture for, or in this case - write a fic! Some of the themes are really odd, but they give us a lot of leeway so we have a lot of room to move, and as long as we vaguely relate to the theme, it's good enough!

So anyway, here I am shipping my OTP in 30 themes! I was going to post them all at once, but because uploading process is a pain in the ass, I figured I might as well get started. The first ten themes are - I promise! - going to be very generic and with barely any pairing stuff, but I promise you, it _will_ pick up later on, so just stay tuned, alright?

Without further adieu, I present you, with...

**30 Hugs, Theme 01; Hazel Eyes**

Mylene

Lloyd stared up at the woman with awe. There was no other way to describe her - she was beautiful.

In her long red dress, she stood with a curve in her back and her held tilted slightly to show the curve of her chin. Her neck and shoulders were slender and strong - her pale blonde hair was up in a graceful but messy bun to show the viewer as much. There was a smile on her face, but Lloyd had to look twice to check. There was something lonely in her eyes... the hazel eyes she peered at him out of. He could see the fakeness of her smile and it hurt him to look at it. Lloyd pursed his lips and looked solemnly back at her as he allowed his eyes to gaze momentarily down at the plaque that perched at the bottom of the canvas.

_Mylene Wilder_

A date graced below her name and he estimated that she had been dead since Lloyd was seven. Zelos had been about twelve. Although Lloyd knew his own mother was dead, Genis' mother was nowhere to be found and Colette's mother had been taken away from her at a young age, a strange kind of solemnity had come over Lloyd upon looking at the dead woman. Raising his eyes, he met her gaze again as she smiled eerily back at him. He felt guilty for looking at a person that he would never know. What kind of person had she been to be wearing an expression like that?

"She's dead, you know." Zelos said, walking down the stairway. It was early in the morning and Lloyd had been the one to wake up first. After going for a walk around the city, Lloyd had come back to discover nothing more of interest in Zelos' house save for his untalkative butler and the portait of his mother.

"I - She..." Lloyd stammered, throwing his gaze back down to the plaque again. "I - I'm sorry, Zelos..."

"It doesn't matter," Zelos said, a bitter note finding it's way into his voice that Lloyd couldn't help but pick up. "She hated me, anyway."

Lloyd spun suddenly on his heel as Zelos walked across the room, making his way to the kitchen. "But... wasn't she your mother!"

"Yep," he said sharply. "Want some breakfast?"

"I... Don't sound so angry!" Lloyd raced forward to slide behind Zelos as he entered the kitchen. "Why would your mother hate you!"

"Because she did," Zelos replied as he scanned the large kitchen - supposedly for Sebastien. "How about pancakes?" he said as he walked for a cupboard and began pulling ingredients down, analyzing each before putting them on the counter.

"Zelos-"

"I'm not sure how to make them, though," Zelos said, tapping at a plastic container that contained flour. "Do you?"

Lloyd couldn't withstand an exasperated sigh. He stared intently at Zelos as the redhead continued his mission of retrieving anything that might be used for pancakes.

He had taken her stature. The shape of his eyes and his face definately came from the woman in the portrait... but Lloyd could only wonder what had happened between them to convince Zelos that his mom had _hated_ him. Parents loved you... they just... did. They had to... right?

Too many things Lloyd had faith in were falling out from underneath him lately, he thought silently as he considered another auburn-haired friend of his. Taking a deep breath, Lloyd crossed the room to Zelos' side. If he couldn't believe in others... he would be sure that others could believe in him!

"Zelos," Lloyd said - his voice steady. "Look at me."

Zelos did... after a slight hesitation and discovered himself unable to hide his amusement at the look of sheer determination on his face, accented with a childish pout. The look just increased in severity as Zelos revealed his grin. "What is it, bud? Want some coffee?"

"I won't hate you, Zelos!" He said strongly, staring straight into Zelos' eyes. "No matter what you do!"

Zelos hesitated to take in the sentiment before bursting out and laughing in Lloyd's face. The brunette only seemed slightly discouraged as Zelos smothered his mouth with his hand. "Is that a challenge?" He chided finally.

Lloyd didn't seem certain what Zelos was asking, but he held his stare. "...uhh... no."

"Well, that's no fun!" Zelos pouted, gesturing dismissively. "Go get the eggs, Lloyd. When everyone else wakes up, we'll have made them the best breakfast ever!"

"Yeah!" Lloyd sang, suddenly enthused as he bounded over to the refrigerator - such things he had been confused and even frightened of weeks before, when they had first come to Tethe'alla.

Zelos couldn't wipe the smile from his face as he continued to search for the sugar, taking Lloyd's sentiment and placing it somewhere safe inside his memories. _I won't hate you, Zelos, no matter what you do!_

"Two or three?"

"Six! Don't forget to get the milk and butter out!"


	2. 02 Meadows

And here we go on another spiel of generic first-ten-30-hug themes! Yay!

The faster I write them, the faster it's over.

**30 Hugs, Theme 02; Butterflies and Rainbows**

Meadows

"Look Colette!" Lloyd said, taking his childhood friend by the shoulder and turning her to stare out toward a field of wildlife they had come across, not far from the forest village of Ozette. "Flowers!"

"Ohh, Lloyd!" Colette said, clasping her hands to her chest. "They're beautiful!"

"Professor!" Lloyd spun on the spot to where Professor Raine had stopped to sigh.

"Yes, Lloyd," she said, replying to the inquiry that hadn't yet been proposed.

"Can we stop for the night down there?" He asked, childhood excitement filling his voice as well as his eyes.

"Yes, Lloyd," Raine said again, bearing the same tone she had the first time.

"Yeah!" Lloyd said, spinning back to face his friend, who mirrored his excitement. "Let's go Colette!" He cried, running down the hill that led to the meadow. "I'll race you, Genis!"

As Colette ran with him, Genis snorted disapprovingly. "That's not fair! You got a head start!" After a moment of stubbornness, Genis reluctantly began to run and catch up to his friend.

Zelos watched it all in silence as the three of them tore down the hill together, kicking up restless butterflies in their wake. Lloyd was in the lead and Colette slipped and fell on her face into the thick green. Meanwhile, Genis and Lloyd were too caught up in their race to notice.

Zelos took it upon himself to run forward to the side of the other Chosen, leaning over and offering her his hand.

"That was quite a tumble, my sweet little Colette!" He said as she took his hand while murmuring her thanks. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Colette said with her bright smile as she brushed off her clothes. "Thank you, Zelos!"

"Any time, my beautiful hunny." She smiled at him again before she ran off down the hill to catch up to where Lloyd and Genis had begun wrestling together.

Those three seemed to be locked in a time of their lives that Zelos had never gotten the opprotunity to enjoy. They ran, they played, they laughed... When Zelos had been their age, his mother was dead and he was hated... so he found the love he thought he needed with his hunnies. Crossing his arms, Zelos thought for a moment about whether or not the friendship of the companions he was travelling with was the love he really wanted. There they were, doing things he had never thought to do.

_It's probably just because they come from a totally different world_, Zelos decided as he glanced over his shoulder at where the adults had remained. Raine and Regal were discussing something seriously while they picked up their supplies to carry down to where Lloyd had obviously allowed himself to be pinned by Genis. A tuft of pink hair gave away where Presea had chosen to lay alone in the grass, choosing rather than to socialize at the moment. And finally, Zelos noticed Sheena watching them with the same kind of envy that Zelos was sure he himself had on his face as well. He stared adamantly at her with as serious a face as he could muster until she finally sensed him, and looked in his direction.

Catching her eyes, Zelos smiled in a challenging way, leaning his head slightly in the direction of the meadow.

Sheena smiled wryly back in reply.

And the two of them were off, running down the hill at top speed. Zelos chose to let Sheena pull ahead - as if he could keep up with her anyway - and he watched as she leapt at Genis, rolling with him through the grass to get him away from Lloyd.

Of course, Zelos stood next to Lloyd to recieve the credit, and held his hand out to help the younger boy out. "I saw the fight! Are you alright, bud?"

"Oh yeah," Lloyd said, with a suspicious smirk on his face, his eyes glittering with mirth. "I'm perfect."

When the brunette took Zelos' hand, rather than to pull himself up, Lloyd pulled Zelos down on top of him, kicking his knees up in time to spin Zelos on his center of balance, causing the redhead to land harmlessly on his back on Lloyd's other side. Winded, Zelos sat where he was for a long time until he noticed Lloyd standing above him, and managed to retrieve his breath in a noisy sigh.

With the sun behind him, Lloyd was a silhouette, his hand moved in a perfect way to catch the light on his exsphere, casting the reflection of a rainbow over Zelos' head.

Lloyd didn't notice. "Hurry up, Zelos! Genis has Sheena!"

And he ran off, leaving the light as a memory in Zelos' vision.

Rather than getting up, Zelos hesitated before deciding he would rather fold his hands behind his head and mimic Presea, laying back in the grass as white and blue butterflies fraternized over him. It was a beautiful place.

He might have enjoyed it all, had he been younger. He had been over-protected for most of his life due to being the Chosen, the role that got his mother killed when he was young. His mother's death, his sister's seclusion, his father's abandonment... Zelos had been forced to grow up quickly, although people told him every day he didn't act his age at all.

All theatrics, Zelos smiled bitterly. Just acting for the puppet show.


	3. 03 Freedom

This was actually the first of the 30 hugs that I wrote. I love it a lot.

**30 Hugs, Theme 03; Snap Snap! Photograph**

Freedom

"Alright everybody!" Zelos sang as he skipped down the stairs that ran down the center of the city of Meltokio. He was almost an hour late - they should have been to at least the bridge by now. But no, he came with a large backpack full of who-knew what and carrying a black box with his butler trailing behind. "The great Chosen of Tethe'alla has finally arrived! Did you miss me?"

"No," Genis retorted with a snort.

"We should have left a long time ago," Raine said, too occupied with her own irritation to scold Genis. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave the Chosen a frigid stare. "I see you aren't much of one for first impressions."

"Ohhh, I'm sorry professor!" Zelos chirped in the sweetest way possible, ignoring the quiet "you don't sound very sorry" from Lloyd. "I was busy getting ready so I could look my best for our picture!"

"Picture?" Lloyd struggled to sound more irritated than interested, but he failed miserably. "What's that?"

Zelos' face fell into a pout. "You don't even have cameras on that hick-planet you came from?"F

Somehow, everyone managed to let the insult slide in replacement of their intrigue of the black box Zelos carried.

"Hmmm..." Raine said, barely able to contain her excitement. "It must be a creation of Magitechnology!" She reached tenatively out to touch it, only to have Zelos pull it away.

"Uh-uh! This is my _special_ camera. I paid a lot of money for this thing you know." To the trio's disappointment, Zelos handed it back to his butler. "Do your work, Sebastian! Come on everyone!" Moving forward, Zelos caught the two closest arms to him and spun around, caught in between Raine and Lloyd who had moved as close as possible to examine the camera.

"Wha- what's going on?" Lloyd stammered, nervous and confused.

"Relax, bud!" Zelos chided, unable to hide his amusement at their ignorance. "We stand here and look pretty - which will be easier for me than for you - and Sebastian will take a picture!" Moving his arm away from Raine's for a moment, Zelos managed to maneuver Genis and Presea to stand in front while ordering Colette to sit in front with them. When she didn't, he gave up and let her stand with them, and he pulled Lloyd and Raine in as close to him as possible before Raine backhanded him to the face and pulled out of his grasp. "Ohhh" Zelos whimpered before clueing in and dragging Colette to his side instead.

"Now, say 'cheese'!" Zelos said, grinning like an idiot.

"Cheese?" Lloyd grinned hopefully, sincerely confused.

Colette - of course - said nothing.

Genis sighed. "Cheese..."

"Fermented cream," Presea stated.

Raine decided to remember now; "oh - who's cooking dinner tonight?"

There was a bright flash of light and Lloyd had his swords drawn. "Angels!"

Needless to say, it was the worst picture Zelos had ever remember having taken.

"The odds of angel prescence within Meltokio is nine-point-three percent," Presea stated.

"Nine-point-three angels!" Lloyd gasped.

"Lloyd! Did you even do your percentage homework?"

"...I was getting to that! We can't worry about that now, professor! The angels are attacking!"

"Lloyd, there are no angels attacking! It was the magitechnology!"

"This should be an interesting trip," Zelos observed with a smirk.

.x.

It was a free visit back to Meltokio when Zelos remembered the picture. Celebrating their political freedom and the safe rescue of the princess, she and the King hosted them a dinner party. Although it had been fun at the time, Zelos was exhausted. Each public appearance seemed like a masquerade, and with each passing day a forced laugh and light-hearted banter became more and more harsh on his concience.

It was late and he had just come home when he spotted the picture on the counter, coloured and bright. Their first days on Tethe'alla... Zelos couldn't resist a smile from crossing his lips as he looked down at Raine, mouth wide open in discussion. Genis was trying very pitifully to smile while he stared at Presea, a blush on his face. Presea and Colette stared blankly at the camera, expressions almost identical. Zelos' smile faded. To be an angel...

"You don't smile like that anymore," Lloyd spoke, his voice sounding out from behind Zelos, but the Chosen didn't jump as he looked down at himself. He was wearing the biggest, fakest grin he ever thought a person could muster as he hung off of Colette and Lloyd. Colette was standing as stiff and straight as if he wasn't there, but Lloyd was leaning into his tight grip - a stunned grin on his face as well. Lloyd in a nutshell.

Something had changed between then and now. Zelos could feel it, but he didn't know what it was... It was like... for the first time in his life, he had _real friends_ rather than the girls that fawned all over him. The ones that were expecting him tonight to hop in through their windows with a rose between his teeth - just like how things used to be. He knew he could have them. He could shame them and laugh at them. They would do what he wanted... With them, he was in control. Back then, happiness was a matter of control and manipulation. Lately, he had been forgetting to do things that way.

Freedom... that was the way things should be. Free love, free laughter...

"Thanks, bud," Zelos said at length, turning to face Lloyd. They were both still wearing their best clothes, and Zelos walked forward to stand close to him. Lloyd gave him a confused look, but didn't back away as Zelos slid the picture into the waistband of his pants. "That's for later," he purred teasingly as he walked away, pulling his hair out of its braid as he went.

Left alone in the kitchen of the huge mansion, Lloyd wondered if he would ever be able to understand his red-haired companion.


	4. 04 Childhood

_Well, I'm happy to see there are people enjoying these! The updates come slowly but surely just because I want to post them on in order, so you'll probably get a few files updated at a time, just like today. Thank you all for your feedback! I love you!_

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**30 Hugs, Theme 04; Teddy Bear**

Childhood

Zelos had long since fallen in love with Altamira. The place had more sun than you knew what to do with, so many beautiful women taking advantage of it, and all the greatest fasions in one spot. In spite of the fact that Meltokio was the biggest city on Tethe'alla, Altamira was the place to be.

The first time Zelos went there, he was seven and going on vacation with his mother. The second time, he was going on a vacation to get away from the thought of her as winter descended over the streets of Meltokio. Finding himself on the resort islands with his arms open and the sea-salt air in his lungs, Zelos opened his arms to welcome the sight and breathed deeply. "This, my friends," he said, turning to the group with his arms still wide, "is the smell of _freedom_. Altamira's got shops, beaches, great hunnies... it's all right here!" He spun again, turning his back to the audience as he planted his hands on his hips and arched his back to take in the smell again. Salt... warmth... sunscreen... "So... how long are we staying?"

"I'm concerned about leaving Regal outside," Raine confessed swiftly. "I would rather keep our stay here as brief as possible."

"What!" Zelos gawked incredulously. "I hate to question your observation skills, my lovely professor, _but_... have you seen how buff that guy is? I don't think he needs us worrying about his safety. Have you watched him fight?"

"Mmm... I'm with Raine. He might not be in danger, but I don't like leaving our friends behind," Lloyd confessed, quickly adding "we can come back anytime, right?"

After bartering shortly with Sheena about getting her in a bathing suit, Zelos was swiftly assigned with the job of fetching supplies while Raine, Sheena, Colette and Genis chose to wander the beach and gather information.

"You know, Sheena really hates what you say," Lloyd observed expertly to Zelos while holding the door to the shop open for Presea. "Maybe you should, I dunno... stop?"

"Bud, you obviously don't understand," Zelos replied, tossing his red mane playfully. "You see, girls totally dig this stuff."

Lloyd gave him a skeptical look. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Zelos affirmed with a nod. "With every slap in the face, she's saying 'Zelos, I'm just dying to spend time with you, but I just don't know how to tell you'. And with each glare, she's saying 'I see you, baby'. And then I'm all like, oh yeah."

Sadly, it didn't appear that Lloyd was buying it as he seemed to lose interest and instead turned to fiddling with things on display in the store. "I never hear that," he mumbled.

"No it's... oh, never mind," Zelos said, giving up. "Remember the apple gels this time, okay?"

"Hey, shut up! That only happened once!" Lloyd yelled, embarassed. "And then we found some, so it didn't matter."

"Yeah, yeah," Zelos said dismissively, making Lloyd blush with anger as he crossed the room to stand with Presea. "What did you find, my cute little rosebud?"

"This bear..." Presea said, pointing to a teddy bear on the shelf, "...it's proportions are improper."

"Of course they are," Zelos said, picking up the bear and trying to balance it on Presea's head, between her pigtails. "That's because real bears are scary, but teddy bears are cute." Zelos tossed the bear into the air and caught it, spinning it to face Presea. "See?"

"This bear is 'cute'?" Presea inquired, staring long and hard into the bear's shining black eyes. "I... see."

"Didn't you have any teddy bears back in Ozette?" Zelos asked, propping the bear back on the shelf.

Presea hesitated, thinking. "...No," she said softly. "I... had my sister."

"Heheh," Zelos chuckled and shrugged helplessly. "Yeah, I guess I could take that for an answer," he said, turning.

"Zelos," Presea asked, "did you have a teddy bear?"

"Oh yeah," Zelos confessed. "Tons! Every hunny is a teddy bear!"

Presea hummed, a thoughtful expression on her face as Zelos leaned against the banister on the stairs. "Hey, Lloyd! Do you keep a teddy bear!"

"Wh... that's none of your business!" Lloyd shouted from the other end of the store.

Zelos glanced back and cast Presea a wink over his shoulder. While the little girl from Ozette began to think she might have begun to understand people a little better, Lloyd continued to believe he was understanding Zelos less and less. Zelos was beginning to understand Presea as well, as the little girl descended the stairs with just a tiny hop in her step that made her pigtails bob in a certain way. She was inspired.

"One day, she's going to surprise us all," Zelos mumbled to himself without realizing how close by Lloyd had come.

"Who?" Lloyd demanded. "Presea?" He recieved a nod in response from Zelos as Lloyd turned to the counter with an armful of gels. "Well, I think it's the same for everyone. All the people with us are so strong... why shouldn't they surprise us sometimes?

Zelos hesitated while unable to withhold his own smile. They were quite the rag-tag troupe, but... if no one else... Lloyd would believe in him. "Well, everyone but you. Hate to break it to you, Bud but... you're really predictable, saying things like that."

"Hey!"


	5. 05 Dance of Death

**30 Hugs, Theme 05; Collide!**

Dance of Death

Zelos didn't care for sparring. He liked to save his beauty for battle, preserving the display for that situation only... or at least, that's what he told people. In fact, Zelos had simply become insecure. He had trained one way and chose to fight in another, with spins and stabs mixed into the twirling. It fit him - a beautiful dance of death to go along with a red-haired, blue-eyed man who didn't know what he was fighting for. He was trained by a man who fought for money, and trained Zelos for money that came from the Church so the Chosen would be less of a joke.

Zelos never asked why Lloyd was fighting. He never really knew why he learned - it just seemed like a trait of the younger man's nature. As a whole, it seemed that the people of Sylvarant _had_ to know how to protect themselves, inspiring the small and studious Genis to use his intelligence to turn his kendama from a toy into a weapon. It led Raine to take a staff to arms, and Colette her chakram. Lloyd just seemed like one who would always be fighting. Not to kill people, but rather to save them. He was a 'hero' in a nutshell, bearing flashing swords, his head bent down and arms flailing relentlessly. Zelos watched, amused, as he picked out clumsy holes in Lloyd's completely offensive combos.

Regal had trained to master mind and body - he was a master, hopping gracefully backwards and slipping between Lloyd's blades, finding an opening and delivering him a firm kick to the chest that sent the boy flying without his breath. Lloyd groaned and left his blade on the ground as he refilled his lungs. Regal laughed it off, praising the boy anyway.

"Feel up to a new challenge, old man?" Zelos asked warmly, standing and taking Lloyd's place in front of Regal.

"_This_ should be interesting..." Lloyd said, amused, as he moved into a more comfortable position where he sat to watch.

"Agreed," Regal seconded with a friendly smile. "Although be warned - I won't hold back for you, Chosen."

"You promise?" Zelos chirped, sliding his sword from it's sheath with his left hand and flipping it flambouyantly into his right. "Ready?"

"Don't be careless," Regal warned seriously as he darted forward to start their lesson.

Zelos didn't care for sparring. It was a practice he hadn't participated in since he was 17, and even then it had been a routine of criticism taken as insult which feuled the desire for perfection. It had been a sudden impulse to take up arms with Regal - a challenge to see whether or not he was as good at it as he thought he was.

Regal ran at him, and had almost reached him when he did a double step to slip behind Zelos, but the red-head had seen him use this move before, and he was ready with a horizontal slash. Halfway through the move, Regal was forced to lean back to dodge the blade.

The ex-presidente was used to working without his hands, however, and he managed to flip around his balance as he fell, spinning to kick Zelos' legs out from underneath him. Uttering a short grunt, Zelos fell back on his hands and managed to flip himself backwards on them before he allowed his body to land. By that time, Regal had also returned to his feet.

Lloyd emitted a low whistle from his position, and Regal smiled. "I'll honestly admit that I underestimated you."

"Heh," Zelos grinned. "I get that a lot."

Deciding he wouldn't have enough time to cast a spell before having his concentration inturrupted by the blue-haired man, Zelos instead chose to dart over, and began a combo, which Regal immediately blocked with his greaves before the Chosen could hit him.

"You'll have to do better than that," he remarked quickly before flicking his heel and knocking Zelos' arm away - his sword flung from his grasp. He rapidly hopped from one foot to the other and kicked Zelos hard in his soft, unprotected side. The redhead felt the air pour from his lungs as he fell into the ground, grabbing at his stomach.

"Impressive," Regal admitted, walking over to his side while Zelos continued panting as he rolled over onto his side.

"That was too fast," Lloyd grumbled from where he was watching as he stood and brushed off his pants.

"Bah!" Zelos coughed. "There's plenty more... where that came from...!"

"Well, it'll have to wait until after dinner, in any case," Regal said, walking away towards where the rest of the party had settled in to rest, but not until adding a polite "excuse me."

"That's what you get for acting so tough," Lloyd chided Zelos, sitting down on his haunches to poke the chosen in the forehead.

Zelos pouted as he stared up at the youth. "'Acting'? That hurts, bud... really..."

"Oh, sorry!" Lloyd blanched, assuming he was hurting Zelos by poking him in the forehead. That wasn't what the Chosen meant, but he let it slide.

Lloyd stared off to where Regal had disappeared while Zelos rolled over and recovered his bearings, only to curiously follow the younger man's gaze. "What are you staring at?" He mumbled.

"...do you think Regal cooks with his feet?" Lloyd mused suddenly.

Staring off to Regal as well, Zelos discovered he didn't have an answer to that. "I wonder..."


	6. 06 Closeness and Conviction

**30 Hugs, Theme 06; Oxygen**

Closeness and Conviction

It was hard to live while you were occasionally attacked by overwhelming waves of guilt. The most frustrating part about it was the fact that there was no reason, since you hadn't even done anything yet. Zelos Wilder preached to live in the moment while he followed in the footsteps of his unconcerned with the consequences little bud from Sylvarant. The truth was, he lived a little bit ahead of everyone else. Behind their back, he tangled up the situation to everyone's supposed advantage until he was holding both the ends, ready to pull it in either direction and ruin someone's life. Ruin the journey for those he stood next to, the comrades he'd come to know... or ruin it for the little devil that did the same thing.

Mithos Yggdrasil. Rumour had it that the Chosens were distantly related to him, or the Goddess Martel depending on who you were talking to. Zelos felt privy to agree seeing the same piercing blue eyes that he prided on his own face. Eyes that managed to hide their own alternate intent. And he didn't hesitate. When their musings came to close to him, Mithos played it smooth like he didn't know anything. He reminded Zelos of himself. They were both manipulators that didn't deserve to live, because when it came down to it, Mithos didn't even breath the same air that human beings did. That the half-elves and elves of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant did. They were different, Zelos assured himself. It scared him when he realized they weren't.

"This is great," Lloyd said off-handedly to Raine when Zelos shouldn't have been paying attention. "Genis has a new friend!"

"Yes," Raine replied in that cool, sexy voice of hers. "It's good to see that half-elves can get along in spite of the animosity toward them from outward influences."

"Uh, yeah," Lloyd said with a nod.

"Pardon me for eavesdropping, but I have a question," Zelos spoke up, turning to face his comrades-in-arms. "Raine, you don't even know this boy, where he came from or who he really is. How can you trust him not to hurt your brother?"

Lloyd fixed the other Chosen with a level, disapproving stare, but Raine spoke up first.

"You have a point," she confessed. "But the truth is that whatever maternal instinct I aquired by raising Genis wants me to take care of Mithos as if he was my brother as well. He's a child that was left alone in the woods of Ozette, and no one deserves to live a life like that. Also," she continued, gesturing across the room to where Genis and Mithos were playing with the former's kendama, "I cannot concieve of a boy that age to harbor malcontent. He accepted the fact that you humans are friends with we half-elves, and that was all I needed to see."

Zelos frowned. There were thousands of things he could have said to give up his cover, to let Raine know that there was more to that little half-elf boy than just a little half-elf boy, but instead he kept his mouth shut. "I guess I can understand that."

"What is with you, anyway?" Lloyd said, having become rather upset. "Can't you just trust people?"

"Hey, I'm just looking out for myself, that's all," Zelos confessed, raising his hands in a defensive way. "I can't help it."

"We're you're friends, Zelos," Lloyd assured him, calming. "We're not the Pope."

With that conversation over, Raine fixed Zelos with an understanding look. She had been backstabbed in the past as well, and knew what it was like to be defensive. But Zelos knew how to be defensive due to his own double-workings. He glanced across the room to meet Mithos' gaze. The little blonde angel gave him an innocent look, as if he was just looking in their direction because they had been talking loudly, not because he had heard everything they had said. Zelos turned away quickly so he wouldn't have to look at those fake eyes so much like his own. They made him sick.


	7. 07 Roomies

Dedicated to Twisterzzz!

**30 Hugs, Theme 07; Tangled Up**

Roomies

"Huh," Zelos grunting, starting a conversation with simply that. "Figures only the scientists in Sybak would be able to cook as well as my butler." He closed his eyes as he helped himself to another forkful of fluffy, gravy-smothered mashed potatoes. "Mmm," he groaned.

"I'm happy you approve," the brat said, deadpan. Zelos allowed his half-lidded eyes swing in the young boy's direction.

"Actually, we spent too much money on new equipment when we were passing through Meltokio," Raine said, looking sleepy. "We saved some money by having Genis prepare our meal."

"Oh," Zelos said, staring critically down at his lavishly gravy-smothered turkey, mashed potatoes and onions. He helped himself to another forkful. "It could use some ketchup," he said nonchalantly, closing his eyes.

"You...!" The brat smoldered.

"Well, _I _like it," Lloyd said, shrugging off Zelos' antagonism as a favour. "Right, Presea?"

The pink-haired little rosebud didn't even seem to chew when she ate. "That statement cannot be confirmed."

Lloyd's face fell and Genis looked disappointed. "I-You weren't supposed to say _that_, Presea!"

"Thanks anyway, Lloyd," Genis said with a smile. "I know you mean it."

Raine unleashed a long-suffering sigh as she peered over a piece of paper through her glasses. "Well, now that we've finally arrived in Sybak, I think there's a small issue that needs inspection." Zelos could think of a large issue she could inspect, but he smiled to himself and said nothing about it. "It's very old-fasioned of me to say such a thing, but we've once again reached an unusual number and we need to discuss our sleeping arrangements. I am going to be organizing the rooms so that Presea and Colette will share one, Genis and I another, and Zelos will share a room with Lloyd."

Lloyd shot Genis an apologetic look, while Genis glared at Zelos. Meanwhile, Zelos couldn't contain himself, and threw an arm around Lloyd's shoulder. "Alriight, bud!! We're roomies now!"

"Raine," Genis pleaded. "Can't Zelos stay with you? Or Colette?"

"I'll pretend I never heard that," was Raine's simple response.

* * *

"So if we're going to be roommates from now on, do you know what that means?" Zelos asked from his bed, feeling giddy. 

"What?" Lloyd inquired curiously as he pulled on a fresh pair of socks.

"Seeeeeecrets!" the Chosen responded.

The boy from Sylvarant looked like he didn't really know what Zelos was talking about. "Okay," he said unenthusiastically.

"So tell me," he said, picking his pillow up off of the bed and clutching it between his arms and legs. "Have you kissed Colette?"

"No!" The brunette answered quickly, looking away to hide his blush.

"You haven't even tried?" Zelos sounded disappointed.

Lloyd was pouting firmly. "No," he reiterated.

"How about Genis?" Was the Chosens next question.

"What?!" Lloyd shot Zelos an interesting look over his shoulder. "Isn't that weird?"

"Not if you're feelin' it, baby!" Was the red-head's excited response. "So... yes?"

"No!" Lloyd protested again.

"So have you kissed anybody?"

Lloyd hesitated, peeking at the wall behind Zelos from over his shoulder. "No," he said at length.

"Aww," the older boy purred. "That's so cute!"

"I don't like this game," Lloyd announced suddenly, sitting up and turning to face Zelos. "Let me ask you secrets!"

"Fine," he responded, leaning forward over the pillow.

In all honesty, the younger boy didn't know where to start, so he just picked up where Zelos left off. "Have _you_ kissed anyone?"

Zelos laughed. "I've kissed more girls than you'll meet in a lifetime!"

Lloyd looked appalled. "That's gross!"

"Why?" Zelos jumped right on the opprotunity. "You don't like girls?"

"I never said that!" Lloyd shouted in his defense. "It's just... gross!"

"Why?" The redhead echoed. "I got pretty tangled up with most of them, if you know what I mean."

Lloyd made a disgusted face, but didn't seem to know what Zelos meant, which was all the better, he supposed. The boy didn't seem to want to play this game anymore, but also looked like he had more questions that he wanted to know. Zelos giggled mischeviously to himself as curiousity won out in the brunette's inner battle, and he turned back to face him.

"What's it like being a Chosen?" He asked quietly, as if it was a seriously important question. "Colette kinda ran it down for me, but... what's it like?"

The hesitation of how he needed to answer that question didn't actually take him long. "It has it's benefits," he replied dismissively. "I get riches, I get fame, I get hunnies. But then people ask me to like, do stuff. Then it kind of sucks."

"So since this world is benefiting from the mana between the worlds, does that mean you have to go on a regeneration journey?"

"Mm, no, I don't." Zelos confessed, quickly reinforcing it with a laugh. "I just kinda get to sit around and look pretty! I'm kind of a useless Chosen, huh?"

"Naw," Lloyd said, giving him the sweetest smile. Zelos couldn't help but smile sincerely back. "But what do you, like, do?"

"Like I said," Zelos reiterated. "I just run errands for the King and the Pope, and look pretty."

"Yeah, but, you're helping us now, right?" He sounded hopeful. "You're not useless."

"Thanks," the redhead murmured.

A few hours later when Lloyd was asleep, Zelos awoke from a nightmare and he slid from his bed to cross the room and look over his roommate. The boy was young, strong, and splayed all over the bed with the end of one blanket tangled onto his leg as he snored loudly. The silvery moonlight wafted through the window and plastered the room with a blueish hue. Zelos decided that a Chosen should be a hero like Lloyd, not a loser like him. Maybe without the clumsiness, he thought as he picked the blanket up off of the floor and back on top of him.

Deciding to cheer himself up with a bit of mischief, he leaned over the bed and the boy who lay on it. He lowered his head and stared into the brunette's face, shaking the mattress a bit, but he wasn't waking up. He wanted it to be a surprise, but Zelos just changed his mind and stole Lloyd's first kiss anyway. He sat across his new friend for a while and stared at him before being riddled with sleepiness and boredom and going back to bed. He didn't realize that moment would later become one of his favorite memories.


	8. 08 Legends

**30 Hugs, Theme 08; Fairy Tales**

Legends

Sheena was a being of power and grace and hot, sexy woman all wrapped up into one. The problem wasn't that she knew it - because she wouldn't care either way - but it was the fact that Zelos was the one to point it out to her as often as possible for the sake of seeing her blush and hearing her voice escalate in anger. Zelos liked his hunnies, of course, but Sheena acted differently and he found himself quite fond of that. He pushed her limits to see how far he could go before she would smack him in the back of the head when they both knew he could do far worse than that to him if she wanted to.

It wasn't hard to see she had the hots for Lloyd. Zelos suspected it since he finally joined up with the party, but she confirmed it in all the little ways that he knew Lloyd would be too innocent to see - which was pretty sad. Whereas Zelos pushed her and prodded her with jokes and teases, it was her who leaned into Lloyd for support in the same way he knew that most of the people that surrounded him did as well. Sheena saw him as a means of reliability, and she found his naievete attractive somehow. Colette relied on him to talk sense into her when she was upset, and for her, he became a hero because he never wanted to see her suffer. To Genis, he was a bigger brother - someone he could tease and make fun of in order to make himself feel better about his own insecurities. Genis was powerful magically, but he knew he was physically weak, and Lloyd made him feel better about that. For Raine, he became a source of faith an optimism as she was a scientist, skeptic and realistic. Moreso than even she herself could handle a lot of the time. To Regal and Presea, he was a means to escape and someone to turn to for strength as they needed to save themselves.

Zelos listened as Lloyd and Sheena spoke around the fire while everyone was supposed to be asleep. Zelos was good at acting, and paid close attention as Lloyd asked Sheena questions about Mizuho, her cards and her fighting style - things that the two of them were both interested in and excited about, so the conversation moved quickly as Sheena asked him about how he taught himself to use a sword, and Lloyd was exceptionally loud as he showed off several moves he was particularly proud of. Zelos shared the same smile that she could hear on Sheena's lips when she spoke. He was such a kid, but there was something gravitational about his enthusiasm.

And at the same time, Zelos found that he hated something about it... the fact he couldn't share his complete sincerity.

"Wow," Sheena breathed in awe as her eyes finally found the sky. "You can see the stars so well from here."

"Yeah, it's because the lights of the city aren't drowning it out," Lloyd said, following her gaze.

"It reminds me of a story Grandpa told me once," Sheena says. "It said that once upon a time, the sun got stuck in the sky, trapped in the clouds. The people had to watch in confusion until the stars started coming out, and the moon came around and knocked it back into place."

Lloyd laughed, quiet for a moment without knowing what to say before simply: "I like that story!"

Sheena giggled. "Yeah. That's one of my favorites."

"My dad used to tell me about the stars all the time," Lloyd said seriously. "Not Dirk, but... my real dad. He said that even other worlds that lie far away see the same stars we do." He paused for thought. "Maybe he knew about Tethe'alla. I mean... it's true! These are the same stars I remember."

Zelos rolled over to look at the sky himself, listening to the two of them talk together.

"That's a little far-fetched. Judging by the time I spent there, it seemed that no one in Sylvarant even knew Tethe'alla existed."

"You're right," Lloyd said. "But... it's hard to believe that you guys knew all about us and we didn't know a thing about you."

"I know," she nodded. "Our worlds are so closely connected, but they're both so different."

There was a long pause followed by a thud as Lloyd fell backwards to lay in the grass. "Do you think... there are other worlds out there that are suffering like ours?"

"Who knows?" Sheena said with a sigh.

"I want to go to them," Lloyd murmured.

"What?" She looked down at him.

"It's not fair, you know?" He said, folding his hands behind his head. "I mean... After we manage to make things right here, I'd like to travel to those worlds and make things better there, too! It's not fair for us to have peace and them not be able to experience that."

There was another long pause as Lloyd speculated on how he could do that, and Sheena managed to stifle a laugh. "You're so stubborn, Lloyd. But maybe that's what people like about you."

"Stubborn?" Lloyd echoed, wondering if he meant to insult him.

Sheena stood up in one motion, and breathed deeply. "It's getting late! I'm going to bed so I can be alert for my watch. Would you like me to wake Zelos up for you?"

"No, it's not his turn yet," Lloyd says, not moving from where he lays. "Goodnight Sheena."

"Goodnight, Lloyd." She said. "Don't get too carried away."

"What?" He asked, turning his head as he watched her walk away, recieving no reply.

If there were more worlds suffering than this one... the concept exhasted Zelos inexplicably. What Lloyd strived for was something that needed to happen, but something no one else would have ever had the energy to do. Lloyd was one of a kind, and even when two Chosens, who were supposed to be the ones who saved the world from ruin, were standing by his side, neither actually had the will to do so. It was Lloyd who was saving the world. He and Colette were standing back, cheering. Zelos liked to think that he had a bigger role than that.

In the end, everything they had ever believed in was a fairy tale in it's own. Mithos sat in the sky blazing wrath down on the pitiful people who didn't know what to do, and Lloyd would kick him from his position to get things back in order again. He was stronger than anyone else could claim to be, and one day he would become a legend of his own. Did Zelos even belong with them?

Lloyd sighed, sitting up and turning to see Zelos getting up as well. "You're awake?" He asked the obvious.

"Couldn't sleep," Zelos said in response as he took to his feet. "I hate taking second shift."

"I know what you mean," Lloyd said with a smile. "Sorry if our talking kept you up."

"No problem." Zelos said. "Did you mean what you said about going to other worlds?"

Lloyd smiled helplessly and averted his eyes. "I don't know." He answered honestly, surprising Zelos with his resolve wavering, for once. "It's been hard enough trying to make this one better... and our journey is far from over. After this, we'll have to collect and destroy all of the exspheres, too... right? Peace will be hard work."

"Yeah - I mean after that," Zelos prompted.

"I'd like to. Maybe the people in Tethe'alla have a way for us to get there," he said, arching an eyebrow up at Zelos.

"Well, the Cruxius do, apparantly," Zelos pointed out.

"You're right," he said, features hardening. "But I don't want to use things that the Cruxius made."

"That makes sense," Zelos said, dropping to the ground next to Lloyd. "Sorry. It was a weird question."

"Not really," Lloyd said, meeting Zelos' eyes with every word, with that caring stare that Zelos hated because he would never get sick of it. "You're really serious when you're tired."

"I don't have to be," Zelos proposed with a wink. He surprised himself with how quickly he could switch gears. "So, tell me! Which of the girls do you like? And don't say Colette because that's too predictable."

"W-What?" Lloyd hesitated for a moment, and Zelos knew that somewhere in the darkness Lloyd was blushing. He wish he could see it. "N... No! Besides, what's wrong with Colette!"

"Nothing! Nothing!" Zelos said with a smirk as he leaned back in the grass with his hands cusioning his head. "Surrounded by beautiful women and you choose your 'childhood friend' figure? You're awesome, bud - really. But come on, you're not all that trendy. Give me something exciting. Something juicy."

Lloyd stood up quickly, walking away with his arms swinging angrily at his sides. "Goodnight, Zelos," he said in that tone that he must have learned from Sheena.

Zelos couldn't withhold his long-suffering sigh. "How boring," he groaned.


	9. 09 For the Love of a Woman

**30 Hugs, Theme 09; Footprints**

For the Love of a Woman

Zelos didn't care much for snow. They trudged together across the tundra surrounding Flanoir while travelling to the Temple where Sheena would make a pact with the summon spirit Celsius, and Zelos couldn't think of desiring anything more than going and spending a nice warm week at Altamira. He would rather live somewhere that was warm and sunny all of the time. He would never be able to understand why so many people lived in Flanoir.

"Lloyd," Raine said suddenly, stopping where she stood and turning back to wait for her student while Regal, Presea and Genis walked ahead. "Come here, please."

"What is it, Professor?" Lloyd asked, and Zelos turned to watch the younger man bound past him through the snow, kicking up whiteness in his wake. Curious, Zelos allowed himself to pick up pace and go to see why she had stopped as well.

"See these footprints?" Raine asked him before Zelos managed to arrive, peering over her shoulder at the deep imprints in the snow. "Tell me - what kind of creature do you think made these?"

Lloyd crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows as he stared down at the footprints, uttering something between a groan and a whine. "Homework _now_?" He asked, although obviously trying to concentrate.

"You always have to be ready to use your head, especially on a journey that this has turned out to be," Raine lectured, turning to regard Zelos. The redhead made a point of smiling his best smile at her before looking down at the prints himself. Satisfied he wasn't there to cause trouble, the Professor turned back to her goal. "Any ideas?"

"Uhh... well, I don't know much about Tethe'alla's wildlife!" Lloyd claimed, biting down on his lip and thinking hard. "But... it kind of looks like a bear's."

"And why do you believe that?" She questioned him.

Lloyd sighed and crouched next to the footprint that appeared to be leading southward. "Well, the bears that we used to find around Iselia had really thick claws on their feet - but they were dull because they walked all of the time. I remember finding them in the woods when I came down for school. And they have a U-shape to them... like a bear. But bears had three toes in the front and one in the back, but this footprint has four. And the bears near Iselia walked on their toes mostly, and this creature doesn't."

"That's pretty good," Zelos remarked from beside Raine, a hand on his chin. "But it isn't from a bear - it's a Sasquatch. This area is too cold for a bear, but people think that a Sasquatch descended from a bear for some of the same reasons you just listed. Not to mention winter's on the way, and winter in Flanoir is really bad - even for a creature made for winter. So it was heading south to find a cave in the mountains to hibernate."

Raine looked at him with sincere interest. "That was very impressive, Zelos! Tell me, did they teach a wilderness course where you went to school? That doesn't seem like a very important thing to learn in a big city like Meltokio."

"It isn't," Zelos replied. "It was actually one of my favorite classes, but the man who taught it was a majorly serious guy. After he kicked out all of the hunnies that joined the class because I did, there weren't enough students to keep it going, so it was cancelled."

"Hmm..." Raine observed. "The schooling system in Tethe'alla is much more in-depth than the one I'm used to teaching. I'm glad to see there's more to you, Zelos, than just the girls."

"Don't worry Professor!" Zelos retorted with a grin. "I always have free time just for _special_ courses."

And with that, Raine sighed and walked briskly away.

"That was really cool, Zelos!" Lloyd said, finally climbing back to his feet and brushing his knees of snow. "Could you teach me some of that stuff?"

Finally seeing a chance to impress his companion, the Chosen grabbed it and he put one hand on his waist and struck a pose. "There's nothing that The Great Zelos does not know! And if I don't know it, it probably isn't worth learning anyway!" Zelos announced to his naieve friend. "The first thing you must learn to become my loyal apprentice is the method to earn a hunny's heart!"

With perfect timing, Sheena and Colette walked by and the former made a point to walk casually toward the redhead and delivered a firm punch to the Chosen's stomach. "Womanizer!" She barked before walking away with the blonde.

Colette watched and walked as she saw the Great Zelos crumple forward into the snow. "Sheena... don't you think that was mean?"

"He deserved it, Colette. Trust me."

"Hmm..." Lloyd observed as the girls walked away. "Your method doesn't seem to be working."

"The love of a woman is just another world of pain..." Zelos coughed.


	10. 10 You Should Hate Him

**30 Hugs, Theme 10; Just a Memory**

You Should Hate Him

When they first met, Lloyd was wounded. Zelos could see the pain in the boy's eyes as his gears shifted to flirt with the other Chosen... and he hadn't thought about it again for some time, because he didn't really care. He stuck his fingers into the mesh of the group in order to blend and have them trust him, and he found it a bit too easy. Although Genis, Sheena and Raine found him hard to tolerate at times, they all just seemed to brush off his teasing as a part of his personality. They accepted him because they had no reason not to. Even Raine, the most skeptical of them all in comparison to him, seemed to take him in stride as a part of the deal. They needed him to walk around Tethe'alla, so she would take him so they could wander Tethe'alla.

He analyzed their personalities so he could answer so he would be able to say what they wanted to hear, and it was easy. Rather than being himself and taking the easier way, he just told them that he would do the 'right' thing, and everyone seemed equally satisfied. Zelos, on the other hand, felt dirty.

And then they went to Sybak and _that man_ showed up, choosing not to give Zelos even a passing glance. The Chosen decided to stay silent rather than acknowledging his existance until after he left.

"Man, what an arrogant S.O.B.," Zelos grumbled, being subtle about his own feelings once again. "Talking as if he knows everything."

"Yeah, well..." Zelos could see it again. The wound he had first seen in Lloyd's eyes had been opened again, but Lloyd was covering it up by being aggressively defensive. Zelos knew that act. "Let's just go see Kate."

They did what they were supposed to. They went to Kate to prove they'd saved their half-elf friends, but Zelos' mind was elsewhere as they chose to finally spend the night at Sybak rather than going anywhere that evening. Zelos was sprawled out on his bed when Lloyd returned from taking a shower, a towel over his head as he ruffled his hair violently. Zelos watched in amusement as the boy pulled the towel from his head with a "bwah!"

"What are you looking at?" Lloyd asked, turning slightly away as if Zelos might pounce on his topless self.

"Hmm, not much," Zelos replied with a snarky grin, glancing in the other direction while Lloyd dried off his toned arms and picked at a scab that was probably a week or two old. "Who was that guy we ran into earlier? You acted as if you knew him."

Lloyd made a soft sound, almost as if he didn't want to talk about it as he busied himself with drying behind his ears. "Kratos," he said quietly, trying to look serious but pouting instead.

"I thought so. You've mentioned him before," Zelos said, sitting up in bed to regard his friend. "But you never actually told me what was up with him. I'd kinda like to know."

Lloyd sighed, as if it was something he didn't want to get into, but he turned the light off casually in the bathroom before crossing the room and sitting heavily on his bed, his arms tangled in the towel he let sit on his lap. "Kratos was a mercenary. He joined up with us right at the beginning of the journey of Regeneration and stayed with us the entire time. He was kinda shady, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt and didn't really think about it. But when we got to the Tower of Salvation, he betrayed us!" Zelos watched in silence as a fire eurupted in Lloyd's eyes to hide the hurt. "He was an angel of Cruxius the entire time, and we never knew until he stabbed us in the back!" Lloyd fiddled with his hands under the towel as he sighed as he threw himself back against his pillow. "I didn't even think not to trust him for a second! How could he just toss us away like that?"

Zelos hummed thoughtfully as he folded his legs under him and sat up to pay attention to Lloyd. "Do you hate him?"

"I don't know," Lloyd said, rolling over and turning his bare back to Zelos. "I don't like thinking about it. We trusted him, you know? And now he just comes back in telling us what to do..."

_"Where are you going to go?"_

_"Back where I came from. You aren't the only one who needed help, you know."_

_"Yeah, but..."_

_"I know I don't acknowledge you often, Zelos, but you've grown quite skilled on your own. You've learned much. I've appreciated having you as my student."_

_"Yeah, right! You mean what you say just as much as everyone else does!"_

"Zelos?"

"Hmm?" Zelos responded, arching his eyebrows and smiling on instinct. "What is it, bud?"

Lloyd was now lying on his side, facing Zelos instead. "You just got all quiet there for a second."

"I just thought of something is all," Zelos said with a shrug. "Only a memory."

Lloyd was fixing him with an odd look. One of those 'you ask weird questions' kinds of looks.

"I'm gonna get my shower now," the Chosen of Tethe'alla announced with a flip of his hair. "After all he's done to you, Lloyd... I would hate that guy, if I were you," he said as he passed the younger man as he crossed the room.

"I'm trying..." Lloyd sighed quietly, and the distance between them was closed by a door.

When Zelos emerged, he was satisfied to find Lloyd pretending to be asleep. He flicked off the light and immediately went to bed, knowing he wouldn't be able to hide the anger that had tightened in his chest.


End file.
